Cushioned vehicle-wheel



J. E. THEBAUD.

CUSHIONED VEHICLE WHEEL. APPLICATION FILED JULY 5, 1919.

Patented Sept. 20, 1921..

INVLF-NTOR 1 UNITED. OFF E; g

aomrnnwnnn rriEBAfin, on BUFFALO, NEi .QBK,"-:AssIeNoR sfaonns'roi'm hnn n v rCQ I A- Y B FEALOpnE J YQRK;':A.COBPORATION'OFQNEW i]? T01 ('11; w s a may mm- 'Befit known that 1, JOHN -EDWARD T an- BAUD, a-citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Buffalo, in the county of; Erie and State of.;New York, have invented'certain.new

" and useful Improvements in Cushioned Veothers skilled intheaart to which it. appertains to make and use, the same, reference be ing'hadto to figures of reference marked thereon, which form partxof.thisspecification, v I

Like figures ofireference refer; to glike parts.

I One of the 'rality of cushioning ,Thisflinvention relatesjtol cushioned vehicle wheels. a

I objects of this invention-is/to provide a vehicle wheelqhaving between its tire portion and the-:wheel body, achain of interlocking cushioning links, which engage both the ,tire portion and, the body of the wheel, circumferentially, havingthe cush- .ioning chaln or :band retained I laterally; by means permitting a free radial movement between the said tire portion and said wheel body's.-

Another object is fto provide a vehicle 7 a zone of interlocked cushion- 1 wheelhaving V inglinks next to. the :tire portion of the wheel and having these links separable transapart, when making repairsto the cushion chain; or band'formed" by the links. 1

Another object is to provide in a vehicle wheel, a portion'havingshort flexible spokes. next to thetire portion, together with a pluelements in azone bef tween the plurality: of short flexible spokes, and-a rigid telly portion of thebody of the wheel.

A furtherobject is structure having a rigid. cehtralportion and an outer flexible portion together with circular plates, whichserve -to keep the wheel parts together, when under a strain of lateralthrust, tending to distort the same.

7 With these and other objects, my invention consists in certain construction, one'embodiment of whichis illustrated in the drawings, is hereinafter described, the fabrlcation of the parts is explained and what I claim is set forth.

" I cus'HI'oN n EHICLE-WHEEL,

of a wheel embodyingv my 'inventlon, 7 .parts broken away to the accompanying drawings, and

in Fig. 3, and

one can be replaced with g flexible part 12- o fithe wheel.

another, without "taking the whole wheel to provide" a steel mamas. I I.

; Figure l is a; side elevation ofjaf ortion 7 p avih'g illustrate the construction thereof. 1 v i Y I I of Fig. 1, showing the, elevation of the parts fromsideto side; n

' Fig. j3 is a perspective view: the

. Fig.4;is a fragmental perspect ve offthe telly. showing hegtransverse "pockets '..adap.ted lto fit the cushioning 7 elements r F g. 511llustrates a cross section for oneof the short flexiblespokes.

,In thefio'ures thereareshownradiating from the r gid hub;1,..the.rigid spokes 2, I terminating and fixed in f A metal band 4 is let into series of equally spaced pockets 5 in which are'fitted the hooked nises 6 of the cushionlng elements 7 each hook persons is keyed withan interlockingshead 8.,at

opposite end-of'anadjoining' element 7 the portion g9 of the element j7,--lies'. flat against the periphery of the felly 3, while the pdrs i ii p eg fii fi ;"Patented septl izd iozi;

0' Ti -.-2 is a; radial sectionytaken onthe line hicle-Wheels; andI ,dohereby declarethe'N-X= following'to be a full, clear, and exact "deg scriptionof the 'same,.:such as will enable p interlocking elements in the; chain 7 of the 'SOfl'LGIflQllSl1-1( )I1l1'l, ;.parts-Ofl",lle vt lfiel,.

tion 10' of'the el ement;.7 is rounded, as shown lies against a band portion 11 of the'outer Between he band portion :11, and the tire portion '13, of the-wheel are short flexiblespokesl/l, made of the same .kind of rubber asthe tire portion 13 Each of the cushioning elements 7 has an intermediate hump 15 fitting into a notch 15 7 in spokes 14:. The cushioning elements tion i 1 2 of the wheel. To secure the flexible,

outer periphery and also band portion 11 of the the band portion 11 opposite the inner end of'eac'h of the I p 7 are 'made of a'softer rubber than'the outer. porbolts 17 passing there These 7 surrounding the rivets or or up and down movement between the band poljtlonll -and-the felly 3, as the rings 16 1 are -.in;sli din engagement with the fe ly 3. Any circum erential :displacementl between the outer portion 13 of the wheel andthe felly' 3 is resisted by the meshing of the chain v "oi;cushioningl elements withwnotches in both the felly 3 and thefband [Eamon 111, where the portions G'and 1'5-of t'e cushioning elements 7 engage the same respectively.

The transversely surfaced and co' fitti'n'g' forone anotherpermits of ward in the relation aboye'descri'bed.-

I j When the wheeljis'assembled as shown in ion links '7 is eompressed againstthe felly j3fas the wheel is supporting a load. At the same-"time; the soft roundedciishion surface 10, oft-he link 7 flatt'ens againstthefl comparatively rigid,"*;i-nner cylindrical surface of the band 11; Theinterlocke'd endsof. 'thefe'l'e'r'nent*T'ai, when in"fpositi"on below th .hfub 1;, held "together within the notches f to; secure the lioldingtogether of these parts 30 {The placing of the humps" 15 opposite the g flatfportion" 9,Yof Etheffelly 3, provides a i lgood'footing forj the fciishioni'ng elements lwhefre the" radial .fstrain" is 1 greatestand Fi s; 1 and2g the chainf'ofsoft rubber cush- 'W' henfthe wheel ,is under, torsional stress.

directly oppositejthe spokes.

i} "Inasmuch changes 'can'be iha'de in the 'jone f embodlment, of my invention herein f illustrated and described, without departing flgf romthefspirit and scope there a not wi h-t e i ned othislohe'embodiment, IheI1oe; I claim, Y I a 1. g Q vehicle wheel comprising three col ing igjportions ea'chlf occiipying" a," zone I 1 I1sa1 dwheelconcentrlcwith its center, the 451' innermostiportion being rigid "the outermost portion being flexible 5 and the intermediate f'portion "being {more flexible than the" outerfmos'tjpor'tion; interm ediatelpoition havfjing; 'pa'rt s fitting"into correspondllingf notclies mete f periphery 0f 'the s aid iffi n st 'ij wp r I he nterinost portionfsaid intermediate its adapting the said parts to *be' transversely separated or assembled, and

means inclosing said intermediate portion I and attached to one offthe' rei'nair'iingpertions whereby; an ,l'ti'a'nsyerse strain on said 7 wheel :rtending to distort the parts is ,resisted. V

vehicle hub; a'body portionifixed to said hub con- 5 centriea'lly thereto, there being recesses in' tions said ring beingimade u of interlock ing linksyanda ringfiplate onleach side of,

'said wheel-attached to one of said vportions and overlappingboth: portions ='in ,oontact with said rin'gto retain said portions and said ring 'agai'nst' lateral 2 displacement;

cushion wheel, comprising a:

f 3.-"A vehicle cushion wheel; comprising a hnb', a body portion, a tread portion," acushion ring betweensaid portion's, ameansj, for fixing said'ring with each ofsai'd portions 'saidportion's with said ringjinflateral 'ar rangement, said rlng comprising aseries of:

interlocked links," said links ibeingkiinter- *lock'ed circumferentially and in" sliding engagem'ent laterally uponitherem'oyal of said "last 'mentioned ineans. J

. 8 0 circumferentially, and other meanslfor-fixing" v 4: A vehicle wheelpcomprising a hub, a body .portiom a tread portiom a I cushion 7 rin between *sald portions,v means fixing- "fsaidringwwith each ofsaidxportions cir-' merit; and a "plurality offshortgfrzspokes in o l -s'aid tread portion; A v 4. 1 5. AV'e'hi'cle cushion-t wheel-,gc'ompri's'ing I a *hub, abody portion, a tread'portion a onshf ion ring between said portions,=;means: fix

fling said ring with ea'oh oij said :portions 7 circumferentially, and othenmeans next; to

said ring for fixing the: same laterally" with saidbody and tread portions; saidf"ring being'finade up of'a' plurality. of: 1inks, hav?i-ng 'inte'rengaging" ends, *said'links being. formed to havey individua lly, a volume of material less than that of the respective sections "of spaceioc'cupied between said portions'and said last mentioned means.

J 1 JoHnED ARoTnEBAUD;' 

